Lindy in the Park shut down; biking burglar too

On San Francisco

Published 4:00 am, Tuesday, June 30, 2009

A group of swing dance aficionados gather every Sunday in Golden Gate park to dance and socialize. Known as Lindy in the Park, the group teaches free swing dance lessons to passer-bys. Duration: 1:52.

Media: San Francisco Chronicle

The authorities in Golden Gate park have cracked down on that scourge of the city - Lindy dancing. For 13, years an informal group has gathered in the park between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Dancing on JFK Drive, which is closed to vehicle traffic on Sundays, they amuse the tourists, get a little exercise and generally lift spirits. Lindy in the Park is such a hit that group organizer Ken Watanabe says it attracts 100 to 200 dancers.

On Sunday, a park ranger told Watanabe that the dancers had 20 minutes to break down their sound system and clear the area. It seems they didn't have the correct music permit.

Watanabe says the group members have no problem getting a permit - they just didn't know that they needed one. He says he never got a straight answer on who thought Lindy hopping was a threat.

"It was very strange," he said.

Lisa Seitz-Gruwell, spokeswoman for the Recreation and Park Department, offered some encouragement. "Lindy in the Park is a great event, and we want to see it go forward. We are working with them to get permits in the future."

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Lindy in the Park has been happening for 13 years on Sunday afternoons in Golden Gate Park.

Lindy in the Park has been happening for 13 years on Sunday afternoons in Golden Gate Park.

Lindy in the Park shut down; biking burglar too

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One complaint about the city is that no one seems to care. When something bad happens, people walk away.

Davis was driving down Third Street last Friday, taking a group of disabled adults to treatment, when he looked in his rearview mirror and saw a guy on a bicycle break a window in a truck and swipe something off the seat.

Davis pulled over, got out and waited as our master criminal pedaled obliviously up to him.

"I clotheslined him and brung him down," said Davis. "He struggled for a while until I got him in a choke hold." Bystanders called the police, who made the arrest.

Three-year-old Mustafa al-Nidawi certainly deserves a few breaks. In July 2007 the Iraqi boy was visiting a neighbor's house when an American missile slammed into the house. Mustafa survived, but he was deafened by the blast.

Since then, in a story covered in The Chronicle, Mustafa has been flown to San Francisco, had cochlear implant surgery to restore his hearing and lived at the local Ronald McDonald House.

However, the board of the San Francisco Ronald McDonald House had to make what it described as a very difficult decision and asked Mustafa and his father to find another place to stay. The board members felt that because they are turning away children in critical condition, they could host Mustafa for seven months. The average stay is 16 days, said Angela West, a child life specialist at Ronald McDonald.

Mustafa and his father have been granted asylum, and the 3-year-old has been admitted to the San Francisco Hearing and Speech Center. Until Mustafa's father, who is a former professor of media at Baghdad University, can start work, they are hoping for a generous landlord who can give them a break on rent starting Aug. 1.